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When Apple brings artificial intelligence to iOS 18, the processing for the AI will reportedly happen directly on the iPhone itself, without connecting to a cloud service.
By handling all of the processing on the device, the feature will be a bit more secure than some cloud-connected services and allow for more privacy for those who use the feature.
In his weekly “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says that Apple’s initial set of AI-related features "will work entirely on device,” suggesting they might not require a data connection at to work.
Apple has reportedly been working on its own in-house LLM, which it’s calling “Ajax” internally. In December, Apple researchers detailed a new way for AI to run on devices like the iPhone without using much memory and in recent years the company has acquired several AI companies.
The AI technology will likely first be used to offer functionality for Messages, Safari, Spotlight Search, and Siri.
Apple is expected to talk about its AI plans during WWDC in June.
During Apple's earnings call in April, CEO Tim Cook said the company was putting "a tremendous amount of time and effort" into its AI plans.